Abstract:
Under the University Research Initiative, NETL scientists are working with the West Virginia University School of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh's Chemical Engineering Department on a nanotechnology called ‘electrostatic layer-by-layer self-assembly,' or LBL. Originally developed for medical applications, the technology shows promise in the development of sorbent technology for the capture of carbon dioxide.

NETL has expertise in developing sorbents - materials that can remove various chemicals from the gases produced by fossil fuel combustion. Some of the sorbents use amines, chemical compounds that contain nitrogen as the key atom, to remove carbon dioxide.